Diana...you're so cute...what a winning personality you have. Yes, the most I'll compromise is to add super-beneficials to my daily choices...even though black dots are there...I'll still prefer do stay away from them.

Well Rex, I am impressed at anyone that can stick with just diamond foods. I tend to understand more where Funkymuse is coming from. I am definitely "carb-addicted" and have felt helpless for so long because I am strict for a couple of days but then the craving gets so bad on the 3rd day that I'm basically crying and give in and binge.

I can also relate to Huntress, at 21 when I got married I was 1.64cm tall and weighed 51kg (which I felt was about 2kg too much at the time). I had no bones sticking out I was curvy and looked good but I felt I had a little too much padding on my legs and bottom. (Now I know, hey I'm a gatherer!)

I'm at the opposite end of the scales now and have battled weight problems for 14 yrs since falling pregnant with my 1st child. Anyway I'm getting off track! I am wanting to try the GTD and am thinking of sticking with Diamonds and Superfoods, does anyone think this will help with the cravings if I stuff myself silly with diamonds (only half kidding )

Personality test ESTJ

Planning to overcome Asthma and Adrenal Fatigue with SWAMI.

Husband 49yrs, A+ Sec * DD 19yrs, A+ Non * DD 14yrs O

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Cas B...paying atention to the suggested daily "quantities" for each food even on the GTD is as important as choosing any particular food...it all works together to have a positive result. There is also the issue of will power...If you can just "say no" to your cravings you will be able to beat failure & turn it into success. I don't give-in to my cravings...I feel that I relinquish my control if I give-in...I refuse to give my power away to a craving or to anything for that matter.

at 21 when I got married I was 1.64cm tall and weighed 51kg (which I felt was about 2kg too much at the time). I had no bones sticking out I was curvy and looked good but I felt I had a little too much padding on my legs and bottom.

I was never starving myself - I was eating all the time and still really slim - now after trynig to stick to these diets I have rolls of fat around my belly and I don't feel right anymore.

This morning I posted somewhere here about how I wish we could all just eat what we wanted eithout worrying about anything and then I looked up/googled spiritual eating and found a weightloss Gods way site which Im reading about now - I am so happy and at peace that I found it as it confirms how Im thinking and what Im going through spiritually.

Huntress, you were starving yourself, and now you've filled out UP to your healthy weight. I think you should just accept where you're at, and not let our society's super-skinny notion of beauty get under your skin.

I was never starving myself - I was eating all the time and still really slim - now after trynig to stick to these diets I have rolls of fat around my belly and I don't feel right anymore.

Did you actually stick to the diets or just "try" to stick to them? Real strong compliancy, or were you on and off, adding this and that... etc., etc.? You don't have to answer, it's a question for your personal contemplation.

Rolls of fat around the belly sound pretty extreme and usually come from a lot of eating and not much exercising; or thyroid imbalance or really messed up hormonal levels. These are all things to think about.

One of the things about Spiritual practices with eating which would include the 12 step programs (which are very very deeply spiritually based), is that they require rigerous honesty about your food and then your life.

I'm glad you found a website that can support your spiritual growth in this. It will be nice to have that support group in addition to this one.

I would also suggest if you don't already have one, a really good Naturalpath who can test your adrenals and hormonal levels.

It's a tough journey to get the balance of food we need and to continue to take responsibility for our health and well being on all counts, without getting obsessed about it all!

Yes Im thinking it's definately something to do with thyroid / hormones & would like to see a naturopath.

I definatley dont eat too much and I excersize about 4-5 hours a week.

I haven't followed it perfectly - has anyone followed it perfectly? finding out genotype and following that and then I started feeling sick after adding some foods that were meant to be beneficial like cod liver oil and then finding out secretor status and it then saying not to have cod liver oil.

I'm pretty sure it's all in my mind as you say with obsessing and all these changes have made me stress and the stress is making me put on weight I believe.The site I found talks about getting to the root of your issues and that it's not about what you eat but whats eating you - which all rings bells to me.

It is in no way the 'diets' fault but my own thinking and obsessing as you say.

I was never starving myself - I was eating all the time and still really slim - now after trynig to stick to these diets I have rolls of fat around my belly and I don't feel right anymore.

I was eating all the time between 10 and 35 as well, but I was starving to death because most of what I was eating was toxin... Once I started eating according to the BTD, I gained weight for about two months, then fell back down to a more normal weight for me... I've never been one to carry much extra weight, so to be as heavy as I was after two months, was a bit shocking... I am now at a reasonably comfortable weight, but the roll in the middle comes and goes as I detox all of the garbage from my previous errant diet... The garbage is being removed at a rapid pace, but may still take a year to complete. This will still be pretty rapid since it all got packed in during 25 or 30 years...

Cas B...paying atention to the suggested daily "quantities" for each food even on the GTD is as important as choosing any particular food...it all works together to have a positive result. There is also the issue of will power...If you can just "say no" to your cravings you will be able to beat failure & turn it into success. I don't give-in to my cravings...I feel that I relinquish my control if I give-in...I refuse to give my power away to a craving or to anything for that matter.

Rex, you're right I shouldn't binge, even on diamond foods. I need to get myself REALLY organised so I have good food at EVERY meal. The willpower has been extremely weak for a long time now, I think suffering bouts of depression and now the adrenal fatigue don't help but I know I need to get my act together. I'm an all or nothing type of girl and when I fail I give up - this has got to change. I know it can be done because others here have done it.

Personality test ESTJ

Planning to overcome Asthma and Adrenal Fatigue with SWAMI.

Husband 49yrs, A+ Sec * DD 19yrs, A+ Non * DD 14yrs O

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

I truly was curvy! My measurements were 36/26/36. The only time I was ever scrawny was when I was a young child in a messed up family situation.

Anyway, I don't think the BMI is that reliable because it doesn't take into account whether the weight is fat or muscle and whether the person is small or large boned. I think a much more accurate way of determining whether someone is underweight/overweight or just right is measuring body fat percentage.

Personality test ESTJ

Planning to overcome Asthma and Adrenal Fatigue with SWAMI.

Husband 49yrs, A+ Sec * DD 19yrs, A+ Non * DD 14yrs O

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Keep the humour going I like it ! I think we need to laugh more and stop getting too serious-even if I do speak for myself.I am going to try to stop focusing on my goal weight and focus on feeling great instead I think.Caz my heart goes completely out to you with you regarding your adrenal fatigue and depression. Do you know the main thing thats holding you back into getting better?

Keep the humour going I like it ! I think we need to laugh more and stop getting too serious-even if I do speak for myself.I am going to try to stop focusing on my goal weight and focus on feeling great instead I think.Caz my heart goes completely out to you with you regarding your adrenal fatigue and depression. Do you know the main thing thats holding you back into getting better?

The sometimes overwhelming fatigue is a big factor in how I'm coping. I believe 100% that the BTD/GTD is the way to go and I even like most of the food choices. Every time I research something it seems like Dr D has got it - spot on Pretty impressive!!

It's also hard to find anything but the basics in regards to food choices around my area. With a young family to look after I need things to be rather simple because there's something going on almost every day. I'll get there, there's just way too many factors to mention and some of them are pretty intense.

I really think you have it when you say keep the humour coming Huntress! It does your heart good to be silly sometimes. There are so many lovely people on this forum that set such good examples for us. And yes, focusing on feeling well is a great idea and the weight loss should come easier if your not stressed

Personality test ESTJ

Planning to overcome Asthma and Adrenal Fatigue with SWAMI.

Husband 49yrs, A+ Sec * DD 19yrs, A+ Non * DD 14yrs O

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

I don't even eat these things anymore! I tried to give carrots a go but they were not interesting. I haven't touched spelt or oats in awhile now. The black dots I have to be careful with are the ones I enjoy like Avocado and Apricots and Necterines! But I'm working to stay away from those right now as an experiment to see if my weight or other health issues change. It's complicated for me because of this hemochromatosis which makes me feel awful all over if I have too much Iron which i do presently.

As for oils & ghee, I have a personal rule of making these good fats 20% of my meal. It's something that I picked up in the ER/LR book. Infact, without getting too hung upon numbers, I personally follow this: 40% protein, 30% Carbs from fruits & veggies, 10% Carbs from grains and 20% fats. I've played around with it and have found this ratio to sit well with me.

I can't do any percentages or measurements due to my addiction habits and patterns from the past. It really kicks in 'dieting mentality' for me and that is one thing I'm working to stay abstinent from. You see, for most folks who are addicts, 'diets' were a way to control their issues rather than deal with them. The 'diet' became the focus rather than just working to find a bottom line of abstinence to stick with, eating right and exercising and then beginning to deal with emotional issues.

One cannot deal with interior emotional pain and past trauma when one is drunk (or brain chemistry altered from bad food or illusionary low calorie dieting). When you are eating junk and binging you are drunk. You are brain chemistry altered. Also when you are 'dieting' per se' with the glorious illusion of permanent weight loss and 'finally getting control' of your eating hanging over your head, you are drunk. (you are brain chemistry altered by the illusion that you are going to get it right this time). You are in illusion land. Because what it truly takes is just settling down into a routine of taking the time to make sure you stick with your bottom line abstinence (mine is 3 moderate meals per day with no random eating inbetween NO MATTER WHAT); and focusing on the 1st step toward freedom from crazed and controlled eating. As your brain chemistry balances and you get into a rhythm with your meal planning and eating moderately, then you can begin to dig into working on emotional issues.

Most folks try to do it all at once and it's virtually impossible until you reach a strong place with your abstinence away from junk eating or grazing, and 'dieting mentality.'

As for exercise, it's funny really. Up until about 2 months ago exercise was part and parcel of my life. Something natural, like breathing. Then I developed some imbalances and in order to take care of it I had to stay away from physical straining...but I continued eating my diamonds and super foods. Black dots would creep in from time to time when eating out.

What I noticed last weekend was that I had lost almost 2kg, and my clothes continue to hang on me. There is more definition in my physique, and that helps when you're slightly taller than 5 feet with a short torso

Over at our Fresh Start Week thread, Lakeslady, another Hunter, has been off exercises for similar reasons, but she's been eating fairly well, and she remarked that she had lost weight without even trying.

I know that when you don't exercise you loose muscle weight and mass so most likely that is what is happening. Also your body might tend to store more muscle fluids when exercising on a regular basis.

I'm not even trying to lose weight. It isnt my goal. I look at the food lists and I know what my limits are and what my options are. If I find a recipe which calls for a black dot, I would sub it with a diamond or a super bennie. At the most a neutral. Black dots appear benign...but for me personally they turn around and bite me!

In reading your posts over the course of my time here, I think you are doing a great job. It gets back to what we each are facing personally.

Some folks like Rex can gain weight and then decide to stop and they have luck with it. For addicts or folks that are facing really bad brain chemistry upset with adrenals and hormonal issues, that ability to just stop is not there. It's not about willpower. The body DEMANDS it's sugar and junk when it is off balance. There is no stopping it at times. I have been in that position thousands of times.

My 1st husband decided he was not going to smoke anymore and that was it. Others have to go wear patches and chew gum to try and make it through. My 2nd husband found himself in the gutter in Mexico after an all night drinking binge and decided right there he was going to stop drinking. Others have to go through massive rehap and 12 step programs.

There is no 'one way' out for anyone. Each person has to reach a 'bottom' with their eating, even if they are not sugar or junk addicts per se' before they can truly make a long term life change.

Me, it took 35 years of back and forth and back and forth thinking I could control it with this diet or that diet or this pill or that one, or eat only pizza on fridays, or starving one day a week or whatever crazy thing it was. FOR YEARS I played games with myself.

It's not about weight loss. The weight loss will come on it's own when other things are lined up. And if it doesn't than either the meals are too big or other factors or involved that one has to carefully look at. Like maybe your body likes being that weight naturally. It's about body and mind health. If one keeps messing around with bad foods to a huge degree they will go back and forth messing up their brain chemistry and then it takes 2 or 3 days to get it back to a place of stability again. It's a ruthless cycle. And millions of people do this. No only obese folks or addicts. Regular people mess around and mess around and mess around.

I think that Dr. D's suggestion that 4 or 5 times a week of non-compliance is a normal occurence for one who is working to stay compliant. But beyond that, one is beginning to play a serious game of losing balance with food which in turn plays huge havoc on the ability to stay sane with food, brain chemistry, adrenal and hormonal issues.

Now I have a simple existence with food. I have my bottom line abstinence rule and I have my good eating plan from the GTD.

This does not make me a saint or a big ego blasting mouth here... It means I had the fear of God rise up in me one night as I looked back over my life and realized how many years I had been messing around and not finding a place to stay sane. My body hurt, I felt awful most days, and I felt mentally crazy around food and trying to control it all.

I surrendered, admitted I obviously had issues, established my bottom line abstinence (with the help of Becky Jackson's book), got my GTD eating in gear and here I am working toward my 60 days of abstinence from 'dieting' and binging.

I have great compassion for myself and all who are suffering from the back and forth game of trying to get balance in their lifes with food. It can be a lifetime roller coaster ride.

Funky, you are right on. So many of us would rather distract or delude ourselves than to confront our "issues" and work through them. That's where addictions come from. Your distraction of choice could be eating, dieting, drugs, alcohol, sex, working, or even video games (that was my weapon of choice). Done to excess, they are just ways to get your mind off the real problems in your life that need to be dealt with.

It's also easy to set "goals" for your happiness. "I'll be happy when I lose 10 lbs.", "get a new job", "get a raise", "get a new car/house/outfit", "have a boyfriend/girlfriend", "get married/divorced", etc., etc., ad infinitum. But should you ever reach the goal you've set, you find you still aren't happy. Happiness and peace come from the inside. They come from doing your best and putting the rest in God's hands, from loving and accepting yourself (even if there are some things about you that you don't like a lot!)

Lola, I checked out the youtube link. All things that I know and agree with. But I'm sitting here on a Saturday morning, it's 10am and I'm already utterly exhausted. (Bedtime was 10pm last night).

When you are struggling with fatigue it's just so hard to find the energy to go out and purchase good food, take the time to prepare it, then clean up afterwards. But it's a vicious cycle - I know when I eat badly it makes me more tired. It makes me more frustrated knowing this, but this leads to more fatigue!

There must be others out there that have struggled with this and understand. Drive certainly seems to be getting his life together - happy for him too!

How do you start? How do you get that block of good eating and decent sleep that will start you on the road to success? Between husband, 2 children, pets, noisy neighbours and a very sick body I just can't seem to do it

Personality test ESTJ

Planning to overcome Asthma and Adrenal Fatigue with SWAMI.

Husband 49yrs, A+ Sec * DD 19yrs, A+ Non * DD 14yrs O

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The flip side to being compliant for me, is feeling "slightly" out of control..

.It might begin with a few poor food choices..but then it quickly morphs into feeling like slight chaos. .I might start to get "sloppy" with many things....It might trickle down to where I feel lazy and unfocused..I might not water my plants..not feel very focused an artist.....I might let food go bad in the refrigerator, I might do laundry and not think to put it away...I might open the refrigerator and seefood and don't know what I want to eat....maybe everything, maybe nothing....maybe a foodthat I'm never allowed to have. It's a sense that I'm not on a path... which has very obvious physical and mental consequences. I might have a lack of energy, more allergy symptoms,poor sleep, irritability. The signals are strong...I feel I'm punishing myself when I don't choose to eat right

SO....

Going back to ground zero....with a clean slate...waking up with some orderly thoughts, with an orderly diet on my agenda...knowing what I'm supposed to eat for breakfast, knowing I've got those food choices in the house, knowing that the only food choices ARE the ones I'm supposed to eat is atleast a starting point for some kind of order for me.

And from that mindset of order comes other orderly things. My messy closet gets cleanedout. I start reaching for green garbage bags to throw out things I don't wear...or at least totake them to places where they're given to those who need clothes....And from that mindsetof knowing I'm on the right "food track", comes my watering can...my plants are fed...the weeds start to annoy me in the yard...I DO something about things that I mighthave otherwise have allowed to just BE....MY life has greater purpose when I eat well.

So, with a food plan...my life easily starts to fall into place...I used to look at people who focused somuch on food as some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder...but in reality, when I don't eat right, I don't live right either....I don't have real goals and my life's purpose is to allow everything to simplyfall where it falls...and I know falling can lead to falling apart in many different places..

I know all it takes for me to get back on track....to find equilbrium is to wake up...eat theright breakfast, remind myself to have the right lunch and by dinner, I'm back...Usually in themiddle of a "new" day, I've then become annoyed with anything and everything that looks out of control and I attempt to fix that too. If start with the right foods I always end up with my life feeling orderly and in control! So Andrea is right...Compliance DOES make me feel really happy!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything.....they know how to make the best of everything!"

Drive certainly seems to be getting his life together - happy for him too!

The timing was just right for me when I started. I was struggling with fatigue at the time I started, but it wasn't as bad as it had been at other times past. Plus, no wife or kids. I can't imagine how hard it would have been to break out of that cycle with a family, unless your spouse is very supportive.

I think enrolling your husband (and children, if they're old enough) to help you is your best bet. You need him to invest his time and energy in getting you healthy right now, to take off some of your burden while you redirect some of that energy into getting well. You might think of getting healthy like starting a new business. You have to invest a lot of time and money up front to get the business going, and as the business grows, you don't need to work as hard to keep everything going. Ideally, the business will eventually break even, then start making money and pay back all that up-front investment and then some! Right now, you're basically working a full-time job, and don't have the time or energy to invest in this new start-up business.

The flip side to being compliant for me, is feeling "slightly" out of control..

.It might begin with a few poor food choices..but then it quickly morphs into feeling like slight chaos. .I might start to get "sloppy" with many things....It might trickle down to where I feel lazy and unfocused..I might not water my plants..not feel very focused an artist.....I might let food go bad in the refrigerator, I might do laundry and not think to put it away...I might open the refrigerator and seefood and don't know what I want to eat....maybe everything, maybe nothing....maybe a foodthat I'm never allowed to have. It's a sense that I'm not on a path... which has very obvious physical and mental consequences. I might have a lack of energy, more allergy symptoms,poor sleep, irritability. The signals are strong...I feel I'm punishing myself when I don't choose to eat right

SO....

Going back to ground zero....with a clean slate...waking up with some orderly thoughts, with an orderly diet on my agenda...knowing what I'm supposed to eat for breakfast, knowing I've got those food choices in the house, knowing that the only food choices ARE the ones I'm supposed to eat is atleast a starting point for some kind of order for me.

And from that mindset of order comes other orderly things. My messy closet gets cleanedout. I start reaching for green garbage bags to throw out things I don't wear...or at least totake them to places where they're given to those who need clothes....And from that mindsetof knowing I'm on the right "food track", comes my watering can...my plants are fed...the weeds start to annoy me in the yard...I DO something about things that I mighthave otherwise have allowed to just BE....MY life has greater purpose when I eat well.

So, with a food plan...my life easily starts to fall into place...I used to look at people who focused somuch on food as some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder...but in reality, when I don't eat right, I don't live right either....I don't have real goals and my life's purpose is to allow everything to simplyfall where it falls...and I know falling can lead to falling apart in many different places..

I know all it takes for me to get back on track....to find equilbrium is to wake up...eat theright breakfast, remind myself to have the right lunch and by dinner, I'm back...Usually in themiddle of a "new" day, I've then become annoyed with anything and everything that looks out of control and I attempt to fix that too. If start with the right foods I always end up with my life feeling orderly and in control! So Andrea is right...Compliance DOES make me feel really happy!

Chloe, you could be describing me to a T here (whatever T means). Not to mention, having to prepare meals for other GT's! Compliance is definitely related to organization for me. Now, this could be a chicken and egg thing, but it is so hard to get organized with a fuzzy non-compliant head.